Where To Find The 8 Best Red Telephone Boxes In London

Big Ben, Tower Bridge, double-decker buses and red telephone boxes in London. If you ever wanted a shortlist of most popular British icons, this is probably it.

The first two are easy to find, as are the buses which are on every main street in London. But you may be wondering where to find the best red phone boxes in London, especially for your photographs when you visit this great city. You don’t just want any old red phone box – it helps if one or two other London landmarks happen to be in frame too.

I’ve been photographing London for over 25 years, soi I’ve got to know many tips and tricks along the way. I’ve written this guide to show you the best red telephone box locations in London. So when you want that memorable shot, you’ll have a special backdrop behind your red phone box.

I also offer tips on times of day (or year) for these photographs, and advise on how to get to each using public transport. You could easily see the first seven of them in a three-hour walk around Central London, while the last location in the article requires a short bus ride from Victoria station.

I hope you find this useful, and find visiting them as enjoyable as I have.

Red Telephone Boxes In London – A Short Introduction

London didn’t want the original telephone boxes (the K1 model) designed in 1921, so in 1925 a design competition was launched to find something deemed more suitable.

The competition was won by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was also responsible for Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral. His winning design suggested a silver-grey exterior, but it was decided that red would be better as it would be more noticeable (and wouldn’t blend into dull backgrounds so easily).

His K2 design red phone booths in London date from 1926 onwards, and are the taller of the two designs you still see today in London.

He later designed the smaller K6 red phone boxes which were installed across London from 1935 onwards.

There has been debate about Gilbert Scott’s inspiration for the design. Some believe it may have been inspired by the tomb of Sir John Soane in the graveyard of St Pancras’ Old Church, London. Not everyone agrees that it directly inspired, but see for yourself – the curved roof is very similar to that of the red phone box.

Parliament Square

The most popular place to see red telephone boxes in London is, hands down, Parliament Square.

There are several of these iconic phone kiosks on the north side of Parliament Square,  outside the government buildings there. There are older, slightly taller K2 booths close to the junction with Whitehall, and the K6 booth I’ve photographed (above) a little further away from Big Ben.

This area is Selfie Central. So many people come here to photograph themselves with a phone box and one of the most famous London landmarks of all.  It’s an irresistible combination for the camera, but you often have to be patient and fairly quick to get your shot.

One time I was looking to try something a bit different, and spent several minutes inside one of the boxes, camera mounted on a tripod, waiting for a red London bus to whoosh through the frame for a few seconds. After getting the shot, the couple behind me were less than happy. I thanked them and bade them good evening!

Tip: There is another red telephone box a three-minute walk away, across the street from Westminster Abbey.

Nearest Tube: Westminster (Circle, District and Jubilee lines)

Victoria Embankment

One of the best spots to see red phone boxes in London is Victoria Embankment.

They are a short 200-metre walk from Westminster Bridge, and what you see around them depends on the season you’re visiting.

If you’re in London in winter, the view of the Elizabeth Tower of the Houses of Parliament (more widely known as Big Ben, after the bell inside) opens up as the trees are bare. You also get a clear view across the Thames to the London Eye. The shot of the London Eye at sunrise was made close to the phone boxes.

From spring through autumn, the leaves on the trees block the view of Big Ben, but you still get a great view of the London Eye from here.

St Paul’s Cathedral – Ludgate Hill

Red telephone boxes in London outside St Paul’s Cathedral

There are two sets of red telephone boxes outside magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral, both making for great photos.

The first two are near the end of Ludgate Hill, just across the street from the west front of St Paul’s. They’re not as obvious as the phone box in St Paul’s Churchyard, and they’re not as easy to photograph. But with a bit of creativity you can easily get some great red London phone box shots here.

Tip: The phone boxes are in shade for most of the day, but in the summer months you can bring some ‘borrowed light’ into play with the light on the Cathedral reflected in the windows of one of the phone boxes.  

St Paul’s Cathedral – St Paul’s Churchyard

There used to be two K6 red telephone booths near the southeast corner of St Paul’s, close to the tower of St Augustine Watling Street. Now there is only one.

But that’s all you need for one of the best photos you’ll find of two famous icons of London together.  It works well at any time of year, but winter or early spring is the best time with low sunlight turning the phone box a glowing, bright red and the dome of one of the great churches in London behind.

Tip: For another awesome view of St Paul’s, head left around the corner on New Change to the One New Change shopping centre on the right. There’s a superb view of the dome of St Paul’s framed by the glass walls of the building, and an even better one from the rooftop bar, one of the best viewpoints in London.  

Albert Bridge, Chelsea

It may not be the best-known, but I think that Chelsea’s Albert Bridge is the most elegant of all bridges in London. It’s especially beautiful at dusk and night, as its lights are turned on for a suburban spectacle it’s well worth the detour to see.

And there is also a rather picturesquely located red telephone box on the north side of the Bridge, next to the pink parapet and green and yellow tollbooth. It’s of the earlier K2 variety.

While you’re there, it’s well worth walking along Cheyne Walk, one of the oldest and most famous streets in London. You’ll see many blue plaques recording famous residents there.

Tip: My shot was taken in the morning – not the best time to show this particular red phone box. If you’re visiting in summer, mid- to late afternoon is a better time to photograph it.

Getting there: Bus 170 from Victoria Station (and Victoria Coach Station) stops very close to the end of the Bridge.

Red Phone Boxes In London – Useful Tips

You may find traditional red phone kiosks still in use – but many are no longer in use. The rise of the smartphone twenty years ago has largely made them redundant.

Some may still accept coins, and some may only accept credit or debit cards.

The red phone boxes look wonderful from the outside, but inside – especially around the centre of cities – they will often stink. The main odour is usually urine.

The red phone box doors are also very heavy, and close quickly behind you – so if you have anyone with you, keep a hand on the door so that it closes slowly and doesn’t hurt anyone.